Abbey tills won’t mean entrance charge

New tills are being installed at Bath Abbey but it won’t mean you will have to pay to enter instead of making a voluntary donation.

‘Suggested donations’ will remain the order of the day.

Bath Newseum was told about the new arrivals – for both the Abbey shop and entrance porch – but Charles Curnock – Director of the Abbey’s Footprint Project – told me the church remained passionate about only asking for voluntary donations.

The existing – till-free – entrance counter to Bath Abbey.

“The reason for the tills is purely one of efficiency, being able to better serve our visitors, more efficiently collect Gift Aid on any donations we receive and do things like taking bookings for concerts and recitals and selling a small range of guide books,” he said.

Plenty of visitors looking around Bath Abbey this morning

“We have the new tills up and running in the Abbey shop and will introduce the same design in the entrance porch in a few months’ time.”

An artist’s impression of what the nave will look like with the floor repaired and the pews removed.

Meanwhile new information boards have been installed giving visitors a chance to see more of how the many millions the Abbey is raising – through a Heritage Lottery grant and on-going donations – will be spent on improved facilities and creating a more comfortable and accessible worshipping space.

You can browse through them below. The posters are top lit which has slightly affected the quality of these images – recorded on a phone cam.